Belgard served as a member of the Edgewater Park Township Planning/Zoning Board for four years, before serving as an Edgewater Park Township Committeewoman from 2010-2013. She was elected to the Burlington County Board of Freeholders in 2012. She had unsuccessfully run for the same office in 2010. In 2015, Belgard lost her seat on the Freeholder Board after serving only one term. Belgard spent 16 years as a trial and appellate lawyer for the law firm Sweeney and Sheehan. Additionally, she served on the board and as both vice president and president-elect of Board of the American Cancer Society, Eastern Division. She also served on the national board of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and locally on the board of the YMCA.
Belgard was a congressional candidate for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, seeking the seat that was being vacated by Republican Congressman Jon Runyan. Her opponent was Republican Tom MacArthur, a businessman and former mayor of Randolph. During the campaign, Stuart Rothenberg of Roll Call said the "district is competitive, though it leans slightly Republican" and will be a "serious fight." Belgard was endorsed by the National Organization for Women, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters and EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports pro-choice Democratic candidates. During the course of her campaign, Belgard defended the Affordable Care Act as well as President Obama's decision not to inform Congress about the release of five terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. Belgard supports the Affordable Care Act and opposes attempts to repeal it, but was criticized by WPHT talk show host Dom Giordano for "giving vague responses to complaints about the law." She has criticized President Obama for his position on Superstorm Sandy aid. In February 2014, Nancy Pelosi hosted a fundraiser for Belgard. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it would spend $1.3 million in ads supporting her campaign. One ad about her opponent’s company, reported by Time, was described by Factcheck.org as deceptive, which the DCCC disputes. Belgard was criticized by the MacArthur campaign for voting in favor of a tax increase on small businesses as an Edgewater Park Committeewoman, and was criticized for accepting a taxpayer-funded salary in spite of an old campaign video claiming she would not do so. Belgard was also attacked by the MacArthur campaign for "ducking" the issue of whether or not she supported in-state tuition for illegal aliens. Belgard ultimately lost the election to MacArthur by an 11-point margin, narrowly winning the vote in Burlington County while losing the popular vote in Ocean County.
